


I love you, Robin Hood

by snarkstark



Series: Robin Hood [4]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Robin Hood, Fluff, Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Iron Man - Freeform, M/M, Marvel - Freeform, Robin Hood - Freeform, Steve Rogers has a plan, Steve Rogers-centric, Stony - Freeform, The Avengers - Freeform, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, aka the avengers - Freeform, steve and tony are dorks, stony fluff, the merry men - Freeform, thief Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 17:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9502778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkstark/pseuds/snarkstark
Summary: The tournament goes exactly as planned. Kind of. Not really. Luckily, Tony has a plan.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is it! :') I hope you enjoy this longer last part, it made me so sad to end it! Your comments have literally been the inspiration to write this whole series, so please tell me what you think! I hope you like it.

Steve stood in the line of contestants, anxiety writhing in his chest. The disguise that Bruce and Natasha had designed for him was so good that his own Ma wouldn't recognise him, but he still worried in case he blew his big chance - and got thrown into the prison to boot. 

He ducked his head slightly, fingers curling tighter around the handle of his new shield. Steve was still marvelling at how light it was, how the handle was such a perfect size and so easy to grip, how they had tested it all night and not even the huge hammer that Thor's Father had passed down to him could make a dent in it. He realised someone was asking his name, so Steve replied, "Grant Stern," smoothly, with a small smile. All of the Merry Men were disguised, though he was definitely at most risk of being caught. 

Luckily, the guard in charge of taking register passed him without a second glance, so Steve was free to look up. He, at last, gave in to the burning temptation to seek out Tony and did so as casually as he could manage. 

He was sitting up above everyone else, on a raised platform on a throne that was a smaller version of Howard's. He sat on the left, with the sneaky tax collector Stane at his right. Steve thought that the balding snake was just as bad as the King himself. The thief allowed himself to look at his Prince at last and lost his breath. How he was expected to fight with that at stake, he suddenly had no idea. Before, he had only ever laid eyes on him when he was alone in the evening, probably in his worst clothes so that it didn't matter if he ruined them. Needless to say, Tony dressed up was a sight to behold. The scarlet robes complimented him, and his crown was tilted to one side, balancing precariously on his beautiful dark curls.

The brunet straightened and winced, causing Steve to frown. He wouldn't put it past Howard to hurt Tony somewhere else, somewhere that wouldn't show up in public. It steeled his resolve to win. Studying the Prince some more, he noted the way that he looked bored, yet his eyes were roving the lines of competitors, no doubt trying to identify the Merry Men as a form of entertainment. He must have been staring hard enough for Tony to feel it because he looked in his direction. A smile lifted the corners of his lips in a small smirk, and he nodded ever so slightly. Steve nodded back since no one would be looking at him anyway when there were so many more flamboyant competitors to stare at and admire. His disguise was intended to humble his muscles and draw as little attention to him as possible, after all. 

He was going to attempt to mouth something, or even dare to blow him a kiss, but then there was a call for the set of fighters that were in the first round, it was knockout style competition so Steve wanted to pay attention and note down fighting styles and weaknesses. The fights were much more brutal than Steve had expected them to be, he hadn't expected so many people from different towns and such to arrive to prove themselves. He wasn't fighting until the second group, but he couldn't say that he was entertained after watching Natasha take out a guy with her bare hands (who was 6"4 and wielding a sword) after he asked her if she was sure maidens should be fighting in the competition at all. 

It felt like no time at all before he was called up for his first match and his opponent sneered at his choice of weapon since it was defensive. Steve scowled and gripped it harder. The asshole got a real shock when as soon as the bell rang to signal the start of the fight, Steve sprung forward agilely and struck him with the disk of metal. His movements were so fluid that the shield felt like an extension of his arm, his attack so sure that there soon became very little doubt as to was going to come out of the battle victorious. 

It was a matter of minutes before Steve was standing as the champion, making a show of looking directly up to Tony and winking. The crowd 'oohed' appropriately, and the thief would be lying if he said that for someone who did his best to be good, and pure, and humble, the showing off gave him a small rush of adrenaline. He noted with a sense of pride that all of his men had made it through their first fights, and decided that he wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they found themselves pitted against one another in the rounds closer to the end. 

The tournament wore on, and Steve suffered through other contestants blowing kisses to Tony in an attempt to catch his attention. One man even made an incredibly... crude... gesture, which caused Tony to open his mouth and start to yell something back. To the thief's disappointment, Howard silenced him with a sharp glare and a hissed warning. Swallowing, Tony fell silent.

At this point, it was like Howard was trying to fuel Steve's determination to win. 

And win he did, fight after fight, round after round. His first actual challenge was against a total looney called Attuma, who despite claiming he wanted to rule the seas, made some pretty neat hits with that trident of his. Steve actually broke a sweat during that fight. 

Just as he expected, nearing the final rounds, he was up against his men, the ones who decided to fight today. They were tough and brutal matches, but they didn't baby each other or pull punches. That's just how they were. Robin Hood couldn't pretend that he wasn't proud at what good matches they were for him, but in most cases, he had been the one to train them. Steve wasn't just a fighter - he was a tactician. In the end, that's what brought him victory, even against Bucky, who grumbled and blamed it on the shield. 

Adrenaline was still coursing through him when he realised he'd won, and there was a thunderous applause, even a begrudging hand from some of the losers. Grinning, he watched Howard get to his feet, Obadiah and Tony following his lead. Tony looked positively ecstatic, pride shining in his eyes. He was ushered forward to collect his prize, Howard's words of congratulations falling upon deaf ears. Steve was far too busy focusing on Anthony stepping forward with the bag of gold. The Prince leant forwards, a cheeky smirk playing on his lips. "Well done, Grant." He drawled quietly, rolling his eyes slightly at the name.   
"Thank you, Prince." 

Steve couldn't handle it anymore, so he leant in, looking right into Tony's doe eyes and memorising every colour. When their lips were just an inch away, he registered a shout before hands were gripping his arms, pulling him back. Hands pulled at his cloak, and a bucket of icy water was poured on him, making the hues that Natasha had painted his face with run off. Tony was yelling something, but Obadiah was holding him back while he struggled. His Merry Men were yelling too, so was most of the crowd, but Steve could barely even think. What the Hell was happening? His shield had been yanked away, thrown like a frisbee about fifty metres away. 

Howard stepped closer to him, smirking. "Ah, Robin Hood. You really are as stupid as I thought. It's almost disappointing. Everyone knows that you're as good of a fighter as it gets, you've taken down enough of my guards. And the shield, no matter what you did to it, was a giveaway. We knew the winner would be you, you absolute fool." He retreated to his throne, relaxing leisurely, and Steve wanted nothing more than to punch the smirk off of his face. He glanced around desperately, heart sinking when he saw the terrified faces of the people. He was their hero, and he was being humiliated right in front of them. Steve realised how stupid he'd been, and how much smarter Howard was than he'd originally imagined. 

Then, all of a sudden, he noticed the King's face turn very, very pale and he swallowed. "Le-Let him go." He ordered, sounding like the pain of saying those words was going to kill him. No one reacted out a surprise and he slammed his fist on the chair. "I said let him go!" He snarled, and he felt himself be dropped to the ground. What the -

That was when the tarp the Royals were sitting under collapsed and revealed Natasha standing behind Howard with a knife pressed against his back. There was no other choice but for Steve to leap up, taking out two guards before he sprinted to his shield. "Merry Men, assemble!" He yelled loudly, "Protocol replace!" He knew it was a risk, but he also knew this was the only chance they had. It was now or never. His band of thieves jumped into action, yanking off their disguises for some dramatic effect (they just loved excitement) and diving into battle with the Kingsmen. 

Steve whipped his head around, searching for Tony. He felt his heart sink in his chest when he saw the Prince, sprinting at full pelt towards the castle and away from the fight. He hadn't expected the Royal to fight exactly, but he hadn't considered that he would just run away. Howard was screaming orders at the guards, but the Merry Men were holding their own. To Steve's dismay, it wouldn't be for long. They were simply just outnumbered. Some of the people had actually snagged weapons and were beginning to fight against the guards too, which filled the outlaw with a sense of hope. If they were going down, it wouldn't be without a fight. 

The battle raged on, and Steve could feel his side being pushed back, more and more of them being disarmed and shackled. He cried out a warning when Clint finally got punched hard enough to knock him down for a few seconds. This was it. A few minutes later, eleven guards finally managed to push him to the ground. He heard the King screaming, and he looked up. Steve was sure they were going to kill him right where he kneeled. His thoughts flickered to Tony and his men, the people he loved most. Yes, they would be beautiful final thoughts. 

His mental goodbye was interrupted by a harsh metal clanging, and he jerked in surprise. "Queue the Prince Charming." Tony's voice sounded, and Steve's mouth fell open. It seemed the gauntlet that the Prince had hit him with on their first meeting was only the beginning, Now he was decked head to toe in red armour, the flexibility and pure power in every movement enough to make guards stumble back. Tony turned to face them, unabashed and held up a document. "This is a contract, signed by King Howard, importing vibranium from overseas. An illegal transaction. As it stands, dealing in other country's cargo under the table is against the law of England, under the section for preventing War. Thus, Howard must stand down from the throne." Tony lifted up his faceplate, causing a gasp to erupt from the crowd. 

Howard was bright red, and he stumbled forwards. "You! I always knew you were a pathetic, no-good little waste of space. I should've beaten your stupid good-hearted ideas out of you more. But I didn't think you were a disgusting, treasonous criminal." The King snarled, looking positively crazy. Steve got to his feet as he watched his Prince swallow, hurt and hesitation swimming in his liquid eyes. It broke his heart how Howard could treat his son this way, yet still, Anthony would rather have it any other way than this. 

"I'm sorry. I am, Father. But this has gone too far. Mother would have been ashamed." Tony stood strong, and Steve could do little but stare at him admiringly and slip a hand into his gauntleted one, anchoring him. "As King of England, I regret to have to send you to the very South of the country, where Margeret Carter and her men will guard you. You will still be permitted to invent and engineer, but under her close eye, as you have committed crimes against the country. I will visit you if you allow it. Guards?" The new King turned away, unable to bear watching his own Father be handcuffed. For risking War on the country, Howard's punishment was light. But the blond could only imagine the turmoil that Tony went through when planning to betray his own Father. For the people. For Steve. 

One of the guards brought Howard's crown to Tony and placed it on his head. "Yeah, okay. First announcement? Obi, you're fired. I'm replacing you with Virginia Potts." He said bluntly, narrowing his eyes at the advisor. "Secondly, I'm pardoning all of the Merry Men. Thirdly, a new age of equality and prosperity starts today. For everyone."

There was a feast that night, in the castle. For everyone and anyone. The starving townsfolk fell on the food that the castle chefs had managed to prepare and dishes were still being brought out. Tony sat at the head of the table, insisting that all the Merry Men sat as close to him as possible as he was introduced formally to them. It had been so long since Steve felt so happy, so content and satisfied in the knowledge that the people were safe at last, that his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. 

"So," Bucky drawled, "Is Stevie gonna be your Queen?"

Tony choked on his wine. 

It was the early hours of the next morning before the festivities quieted enough for Tony to announce he was retiring, and he and Steve ignored all the teasing when they went off together. Wandering into the now familiar room, Steve took one of the King's hands and tugged him closer. "Never got my kiss." He mock-complained, one hand cupping Tony's jaw, "I won it fair and square too."  
"Aw, poor you."  
"Well, I ain't leavin' without it," Steve replied cheekily, and Anthony simply smirked at him.   
"Who said anything about you leaving?"

When Steve finally leant forwards and captured the brunet's lips with his own, it felt like coming home. His heart was beating a million miles a minute, and a warmth flooded through his veins like Tony had lit a fire in him. No doubt he had. 

"I love you, Tony." He whispered in the dying firelight an hour later, when they were curled up under the soft sheets and heavy with sleep. There was a small pause, and Steve wondered if the new King was asleep. 

Then, he felt the smaller bury even deeper into his chest, arms tightening around him. "I love you too, Robin Hood."

**Author's Note:**

> It's over, RIP! Kudos and comments give me life, as you know, and I'm dying to find out what you guys thought of the final part. I hope it was okay. :)


End file.
